WordPress.com Creator Raises $29.5M — Matt Mullenweg, founder of Automattic and creator of open-source blogging system WordPress, stopped by my apartment earlier this week. Matt, who is one of my closest friends, brought his Texan sense of humor and all-around good cheer …

Act Two — You've probably seen the news on GigaOM, Automattic has raised a new “series B” round of funding. We're entering what I consider Act II of the Automattic story. I'll talk about where we're going, but first some history. — In 2005 Automattic was small.

Automattic fundraising — As Om and Matt report, we closed a $29.5 million round of financing for Automattic today. Coincidentally, the closing is happening during one of our bi-annual company get-togethers, so we'll be able to toast the occasion in person!

Apple Q1: The iPod Has Left The Building (AAPL) — We'll let SAI's Henry Blodget explain the pros and cons of paying attention to quarterly numbers, guidance, and whisper numbers tomorrow. And we're not going to try to analyze why AAPL is plummeting in after-hours trading.

Apple posts nice Q1, but pessimistic on Q2 — Updated at 3:45 p.m. PST following the conference call, with changes throughout. — Apple's first quarter hit on all cylinders, as the company continued its financial run on the strength of its Mac business. But anyone looking for reassurance …

GOOGLE DROPS MORE THAN 160 POINTS — That's not something we're used to hearing, but since its peak back in the Fall at nearly 750, Google has dropped to 584 currently, a 166 point drop (it's dropped more in after hours, all the way down to 568). It's on a steep decline in the past few days …

Might Google Buy the New York Times? — The choice for the family would be basically this: double your money or double down on “young Arthur,” as the NYT's Chairman and CEO is sometimes called. In the back of their minds, the prospect of doubling down on “young Arthur” …

Vista successor, Windows 7 to be released next year? — A recently-release roadmap for the next major Window release - Windows 7 - indicates that Microsoft is planning to release the new operating system in the second half of 2009, rather than the anticipated release date of some time in 2010.

Could Windows 7 be the best Windows yet? — Given all the feedback that Microsoft has had from Vista users (both negative and positive), could Windows 7 be the best version of Windows yet? — Vista is turning out to be a bit of an enigma. While sales seem strong, users seem far from satisfied with the latest offering from Redmond.

Create Your Own Reddit — Reddit has announced a brand new feature that they are currently testing out in closed beta - the ability for users to make their own Reddits. Reddit has long had the “other reddits” featuring ones specializing in programming, science, politics, etc …

MPAA Admits Mistake on Downloading Study — Hollywood laid much of the blame for illegal movie downloading on college students. Now, it says its math was wrong. — In a 2005 study it commissioned, the Motion Picture Association of America claimed that 44 percent of the industry's domestic losses came …

11th Hour Buyout to Save Scrabulous Tonight? — Unless a Hail Mary deal is reached, Facebook's Scrabulous application may finally get the axe tonight. The causal gaming app has come under fire from toy makers Hasbro and Mattel, who claim that the game infringes on Scrabble's copyright.